Three Brief Psychological Interventions for Acute Pain in Inpatients in Boyacá

This study evaluates two brief, non-drug psychological techniques-body-scan mindfulness and guided imagery/distraction-delivered as a single bedside session to reduce acute pain in adults admitted to short-stay inpatient wards or emergency observation units in Boyacá, Colombia. Participants are randomly assigned (1:1:1) to body-scan mindfulness, guided imagery/distraction, or a brief cognitive-behavioral psychoeducation session (active comparator). Each session lasts under 20 minutes and usual medical care continues. Pain intensity (0-10) is recorded within 5 minutes before the session and within 2 minutes after completion on the same day. If pain remains very high (e.g., ≥8-9/10) or the activity cannot be completed, up to 5 minutes of supervised slow deep-breathing may be offered as rescue, and the clinical team may adjust analgesics per routine care. Secondary measures (specified in Outcome Measures) include patient satisfaction, feasibility (session duration and completion), use of rescue measure, and adverse events; exploratory data may include short-term psychological scales collected by a blinded assessor and the association with length of stay during the current admission. Adults aged ≥18 years with acute pain ≤7 days and baseline pain ≥4/10 may be eligible. The study takes place across four public hospitals in Boyacá, Colombia.